Pc. Stomper et al., FLOW CYTOMETRIC DNA ANALYSES OF BENIGN BREAST-LESIONS DETECTED BY SCREENING MAMMOGRAPHY, Clinical cancer research, 4(6), 1998, pp. 1543-1547
There is little information regarding flow cytometric DNA analyses of
benign breast lesions. This prospective study consists of mammographic
and pathological correlation of DNA flow cytometric analyses of speci
men mammography-guided fine-needle aspirates (FNAs) of 189 consecutive
benign breast lesions and 114 FNAs of adjacent normal tissue as a con
trol. Clinical follow-up was also performed. Aneuploidy was detected i
n 14 of 189 (7%) benign lesion specimen mammography-guided FNAs and in
only 1 of 114 (0.9%) FNAs of adjacent normal tissue (P = 0.01), Aneup
loidy was detected in two (33%) benign intramammary lymph nodes compar
ed with four (12%) benign lesions with atypia, one benign lesion (3%)
with hyperplasia, four benign lesions (10%) with adenosis, and three (
4%) other benign lesions (P = 0.01), There were no significant associa
tions between DNA content and S-phase percentage and patient age, mamm
ographic appearance, or extent. During a median follow-up of 40 months
(range, 6-84 months), 2 of 13 (15%) patients with aneuploid benign le
sions developed ipsilateral breast carcinoma compared with 5 of 175 (3
%) patients with diploid benign lesions (odds ratio, 6.18; 95% confide
nce interval, 1.08-35.56). Our data suggest that aneuploidy, which is
detected in a variety of benign breast lesions, may be associated with
a higher risk of development of breast carcinoma. The combined techni
ques of specimen mammography-guided fine-needle aspiration and flow cy
tometry provide a practical translational research method for the stud
y of benign breast disease.